LMT June 4 2018

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4 Monday, June 4, 2018 • Last Mountain Times The tarnished golden years June marks Seniors’ Month in Canada, a time to celebrate the seniors in our lives and in our communities. It’s also a fitting time to probe the financial security of aging Canadians. A recent survey of 1000 Canadians over the age of 60 shows that “running out of money before they die” and “not being able to pay for long term care” top the list of financial worries of seniors. The Seniors and Money Report paints a picture of aging Canadians facing financial jeopardy. One-in-four seniors fear they will run out of money before they die, while an equal amount fear they will not be able to pay for long-term care. Other concerns include never being able to pay off their debt, not having enough money to retire, having to sell their house or depending on their children for financial support. One-in-five Canadians still work past age 60 (one-in-16 work past 80). Too much debt, not enough savings, still supporting adult children and “I’ll never afford retirement” are the main reasons. On a positive note, nearly one third of Canadians over 60 continue working because they simply “love their job”. More than half of Canadians age 60 and older carry at least one form of debt, with a many carrying more. The usual culprits here tend to be credit cards (which lead the way), lines of credit, mortgages, and (to a lesser extent) auto loans. Surprisingly, more than one-in-three Canadians 80 and older are carrying at least one form of debt, perhaps most unexpectedly, nine per cent have car loans. The report shows the beginnings of a generational shift in how seniors are supporting their retirement. The number of seniors who list a company pension plan as a source of income is declining. Currently, fifty per cent of those 80 and older list a company pension plan as a source of income, while that percentage dips to 41 per cent among those 60-69. It’s not all doom and gloom. There are a multitude of resources available to seniors and their families. Truthfully, it’s never too late to get started. Nonprofit organizations like Credit Canada and the Financial Planning Standards Council provide resources for all Canadians at any stage in their life; wherever a person sits on the spectrum of debt or savings. There are steps that can be taken by seniors and their families to ensure their financial security. -SOURCE: Credit Canada, and the Financial Planning Standards Council Treaty land admission: thin edge of the wedge? Part of a very sophisticated strategy to soften Canadians up for a new and radical campaign to rewrite treaties? The governing body of the Ontario Medical Association recently voted down a motion to open its meetings with the currently fashionable acknowledgment that “you are on treaty land.” They were roundly criticized for their effrontery by Indigenous spokespeople. Andre Picard wrote an article in The Globe and Mail thoroughly scolding them and saying that the doctors’ refusal to bow to this new fashion “makes them look glib, wallowing in their privilege, and worst of all, indifferent to the all-important issue of reconciliation.” Picard is prepared to imply that Ontario’s doctors are pigs, so convinced is he that this new pro forma meeting opener is vital to his vision of reconciliation. Well! They’ve certainly been told off. (And the president of the association subsequently issued an apology, although their original motion has not been repealed.) EDITORIALS, LETTERS & OPINIONS Farmers lose with approval of Bayer-Monsanto deal On May 30, 2018 Canada’s Competition Bureau approved Bayer’s acquisition of Monsanto with conditions, one day after the United States Justice Department announced its approval of the deal. Monsanto is with world’s largest seed company; Bayer is the world’s largest pesticide company. Both companies also sell digital agriculture systems, with Monsanto’s being the most widely used. The new company will become the world’s largest integrated digital agriculture, seed and pesticide company. The European Union, Brazil, Russia and China also approved the deal. To address regulators’ concerns about the deal’s negative impact on competition, Bayer offered to sell BASF its seed and pesticide businesses. Regulators have made divestment of these assets a condition of their approvals. Bayer will also be required to allow BASF, as well as Russian and Chinese agribusinesses, to use its digital agriculture platforms under license. The National Farmers Union (NFU), along with some other farm organizations around the world, opposed the deal. The approval of Bayer’s takeover of Monsanto follows on the heels of the February 2017 approval of the ChemChina purchase of Syngenta, and the June 2017 merger of seed and agrochemical giants, Dow and DuPont. In September 2017 Canada allowed the fertilizer companies, Agrium and PotashCorp fertilizer to merge, creating Nutrien. As farmers, we are faced with unprecedented concentration of the seed, chemical and fertilizer businesses we deal with. When so few companies control well over half the market, we are stuck with what companies want to supply at the prices they want to charge. The options for farmers are shrinking. Problems farmers have identified are going unsolved because these companies can make their profits by increasing their footprint and controlling the market instead. Reducing tillage has improved soil conservation massively, but when done with methods that involve patented seed and chemical packages, it results in too much dependence on a few companies. Many farmers struggle with wild oats resistance to herbicides, and having fewer companies doesn’t address that. The ownership concentration in seed, agrochemical and digital agriculture gives the likes of the new Bayer-Monsanto organization undue power in relation to governments and media, making it that much harder to get support for research on agronomic alternatives that allow farmers more freedom and which reduce their costs. It is foolish to believe that genuine competition between four global agribusiness companies that control over 70% of the market will keep input prices down and spur innovation. Joint ventures between them are still possible, they license the use of their products to each other, and none have anything to gain by reducing the prices they charge farmers for their products. And, with the expansion of digital agriculture, a system that allows seed and chemical companies to collect and compile detailed data from our farms and use it as they see fit, our concerns are magnified. We should not be hamstrung by what these companies are doing. Farmers need to be in charge. That is why we in the NFU are pushing for food sovereignty where farmers and communities make the important decisions about our food system. We call on our governments to safeguard our land and food by limiting, not enhancing, the power of the multinational agribusiness corporations. -Jan Slomp, NFU Vice President (Policy) Disclaimer: opinions expressed are those of the writer I’m not privy to the doctors’ discussions leading up to their refusal to be cowed into ‘following the crowd’ on the use of this new treaty land ‘meeting opener’, but I’m guessing that their refusal was made - at least in part - because it wasn’t clear to them exactly what they were signing up for if they followed the crowd and used the trendy new opener. Is the treaty land acknowledgment simply the polite nod towards reconciliation that the outraged Picard thinks it is? Or is it something more than that? Is there a price attached to its use that will become more apparent at some point? I suggest that the treaty land acknowledgment does indeed come with a price. I believe that it’s part of a very sophisticated strategy to soften Canadians up for a new and radical campaign to rewrite treaties. Indigenous advocates and their expensive lawyers are preparing the public to accept the notion that Indigenous groups retain some degree of ownership CONTINUES on PAGE 6
RCMP REPORT Break & Enter/Robbery/Assault Investigation Shortly before midnight on Thursday, May 24, 2018, the Canora RCMP Detachment responded to a call of a break and enter, robbery and assault at a residence in Canora, SK. Five suspects forced their way into the residence wearing face masks and carrying baseball bats. The victims in the home were both adult females, and one was struck on the leg with a baseball bat while trying to phone police. She received minor injuries that were treated by EMS on scene. The investigation included members of the Canora Detachment, Kamsack Detachment, Yorkton Forensic Identification Section, Police Dog Services, and the Yorkton General Investigation Section. On Friday, May 25, 2018 police executed a search warrant at a residence in Canora, SK and recovered evidence related to the crime. Two male youths were subsequently arrested and charged with: robbery with an Offensive Weapon; Breaking and Enter and Commit an Indictable Offence; and Disguised with Intent to Commit an Offence. Their names can not be released under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. The investigation is continuing. Break and enter investigation in Rhein On May 30, 2018, shortly before 1:30 a.m. Yorkton Rural RCMP responded to a break and enter and robbery at a residence in the community of Rhein, Saskatchewan. Initial investigation has revealed multiple individuals wearing masks entered the residence with weapons. The lone adult male inside the residence was assaulted and a number of items were taken including a large sum of cash and two firearms. The individuals left the scene in an unknown direction. The adult male was transported to hospital for treatment of his injuries. Yorkton Rural Monday, June 4, 2018 • Last Mountain Times RCMP believe there is no threat to public safety at this time. Vehicle and pedestrian accident White Butte RCMP have confirmed that an adult male was declared deceased at the scene as a result of a collision on Highway # near White City last week. Initial investigation has determined a truck was travelling in the eastbound lane when it struck a pedestrian. No other injuries have been reported as a result of this incident. Highway #1 remained restricted for approximately two more hours while an RCMP Collision Reconstructionist and White Butte RCMP investigated. Vehicle hit by axe near Plunkett On May 16th 2018 at 6:15 p.m. Humboldt RCMP were dispatched to an incident on Highway 16 near the community of Plunkett. RCMP attended and learned that a west bound passenger truck was hit by an axe. The axe came through the windshield of the truck causing extensive damage, and minor injury to the driver. The truck was towed from the scene as it was not driveable. The lone male occupant of the truck was treated on scene by RCMP, and transported to Saskatoon hospital for further medical attention. No one else was injured as a result of this incident. Humboldt RCMP made extensive patrols of the area and inquired with nearby homeowners as part of the investigation. An examination of the damaged truck was also completed prior to it being towed. At this time the investigation is still ongoing, however no leads as to where the axe came from have been generated. NEW 306-731-1487 FOR 2018 OFFERING FULL SERVICE AND INSTALL. Water softeners, water purifiers, iron and manganese filters, taste and odor filters, water quality analysis, water, sewer and lift pumps, pressure systems and irrigation systems. Residential or commercial we have water treatment solutions for you! 5 SPORTS Vegas continues to defy the odds Here’s how a National Hockey League expansion team is supposed to act in its first year: Play hard. Win the occasional game. Be loveable losers. Promise their team’s diehard fans a brighter future. Lose a lot and prepare for Year 2. What’s not supposed to happen is what’s going on with the Vegas Golden Knights, who have set every possible expansion team record and are currently — unbelievably! — in the Stanley Cup Final, causing concern about the Apocalypse, the earth stopping rotation on its axis and dogs suddenly refusing to chase cars. Here’s what an expansion team’s record is supposed to look like: 8-67-5 (Washington Capitals, 1974-75); 12-60-6 (New York Islanders, 1972-73); 10-70-4 (Ottawa Senators, 1992-93); 14-57-7 (Atlanta Thrashers, 1999-2000). Sure, the expansion drafting rules were different for the Golden Knights than they were for teams 30 and 40 years ago, but maybe that’s what you deserve these days for an expansion fee of $500 million. A chance. The brilliance of the Vegas brain trust cannot be underestimated. They scouted exceptionally well. They made astute deals (“we’ll promise not to take Player A from your team but you have to give us Player B, plus a draft pick, in exchange.”) They hired a coach, Gerard Gallant, whom the players FROM THE SIDELINES BRUCE PENTON love. He asked them to work harder than the opposition, realizing that effort sometimes trumps talent. He instituted a ‘five-foot’ rule — don’t give your check more than five feet of freedom — and the Knights have followed it. Vegas opponents get a split second to make a decision about what to do with the puck and, if it’s a split second and a half, the Vegas player has disrupted his opponent, stolen the puck, or created a turnover. Resultingly, wins, wins and more wins. No matter what happens this week as the Stanley Cup Championship unfolds, sentimentality will prevail. Vegas has the underdog role locked up, and on the other side of the ice is Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, whose Hall of Fame career is lacking one key ingredient — a Stanley Cup. Hockey fans from coast to coast would love to see Ovechkin finally win a cup, but the ever-increasing number of fans of the Golden Knights don’t see it that way — they want this fairytale season to end with Cinderella wedding the handsome prince and living happily ever after. And Year Two? Unfortunately, there’s nowhere to go but down if the Golden Knights reach the pinnacle this year. Such sadness for their fans, who will have to look elsewhere for a brighter future. Care to comment? Email brucepenton2003@yahoo.ca - Bruce Penton Disclaimer: opinions expressed are those of the writer. For all your collision repairs, glass repairs, and replacements, contact – We do Light Mechanical LORNE’S Collision Center Raymore, SK. SGI Accredited. Call Lorne Huber at 306-746-5800 or 306-746-5805 Open Monday thru Friday Advanced DENTURE CLINIC Kerry Rodgers, D.D. Denturist Tel: 525-5200 1-888-723-1110 Fax: 525-3271 Email: smile4me@sasktel.net 4306 Dewdney Avenue Regina, SK S4T 1A8 (Dewdney & Lewvan) 00074621
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LMT June 4 2018

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